Grumps to Share
by TaggertShare
Summary: Share reminisces about what attracted her to Grumpy. Grumpy was not like the other Male Cubs and Teen Cubs. Yet Share found herself strangely attracted to the sad looking Boy who lived next door. A quiet Boy who was good at fixing things. A Boy who would rather be alone in his own thoughts than to be with others. A Boy with whom Share would find Empathy, a Bear to Love.


Share had just finished washing the dishes. Grumpy had just finished grooming his facial fur. "I'll get that" said Grumpy as a knock sounded on the door. He felt a bit reluctant to open it. He and Share were expecting company. As soon as the door opened one of their expected guests shouted "surprise, it's me!" "It is no surprise when we are expecting you" grumbled Grumpy. Surprise Bear was undaunted. "Well here is a surprise." She handed Grumpy a leather bound photo album. "Don't worry, there aren't too many surprising and embarrassing photos of you in there" she said with a giggle.

Behind Surprise the other guest grinned. "I was thinking of having Lovalot include a few more embarrassing ones of you" said Cheer as she gave Grumpy a quick nose rub. Cheer giggled as Grumpy blushed. Cheer loved embarrassing her moodiest Brother. "Brothers don't like nose rubbing with Sisters" said Grumpy with a frown. He flipped the album open. "So what is in here?"

"In where" asked Share as she came out of the kitchen. "Happy Anniversary, Sis" said Surprise. "I am surprised you and Grumpy have made it to your Mating Day sixth anniversary. Lovalot has been doing some genealogical research. She also has been collecting some photos. I had her prepare an Album just for you and Grumpy." Share could see Grumpy stare at the inside of the front cover. Share peered over Grumpy's shoulder and read out loud something Lovalot had written in red ink. "To one of Care a Lot's most surprising Love Pairings." Share blushed. Grumpy grumbled. "She's one to write. She and Grizzle are the most surprising pairing of all!"

Cheer laughed. "Well Brother Dear, and my shy Sister in Law, may we sit and show you Lovalot's masterpiece?" "Oh dear, where are my manners" said Share. "Every Bear have a seat while I go get the Snack Tray." Soon they were snacking and laughing as photos evoked memories. The first showed a purple furred female Cub reaching for a door. Behind her a younger female with brownish highlights in her purple fur was sneaking up. In the next photo a pool of liquid was on the floor beneath the Cub who had been reaching for the door handle. "That is a photo of the first time I surprised my long lost Sister" said Surprise. "Even I was surprised to have scared the Pee out of her." Cheer laughed. "Don't worry Share. Here are some photos to embarrass both you and Surprise."

Share stared at photos of two Cubs splashing in a tub. Then they were each seen standing up. With their fur wet and slicked down it was easy to see they were indeed females. True Heart was holding up a towel trying to get them to stay put so she could dry them. True Heart looked as wet as the Cubs. "Our first bath together" said Share. "After Surprise made me pee myself True Heart threw us in the tub together." "Look how small I was" said Surprise. "Fun in the tub photos are always popular ones. Every grown Bear seems to take them to embarrass their Cubs once they have grown." "Not just their Cubs" said Cheer as she pointed at a photo of Grumpy. "Some photos give Sisters a chance to embarrass Brothers. This photo may be proof two Bears were destined to be Mates."

Cheer and Surprise laughed as both Grumpy and Share gasped. For there was a photo of a young Grumpy taking a pee outdoors. In the hedge behind him a Bear was peeking out. Surprise giggled as she pointed. "It looks as if Care a Lot's first peeping Tom Bear was not Grizzle!" Share looked more embarrassed than Grumpy. "Oh my gosh, who took that" said Share. Grumpy didn't say a word at first. Then he gave a wry half smile. "Well, who ever it was, at least they caught my good side!" Surprise tapped her Brother in Law's shoulder. "Surprisingly it wasn't I. It was Always There Bear. She said went to photograph a Butterfly. Then something more interesting caught her eye." Cheer laughed. "Looks like it caught Share's eyes too!" Share giggled and put her hand paw on Grumpy's thigh. "I guess I knew a good thing when I saw it." The normally shy Share was soon telling their guests how destiny led to her to become interested in Grumpy. Once in a while between sweets Grumpy would join in to add a few details.

After Share's and Surprise Bear's re-union the two Girls discovered they had much in common. They were soon the best of playmates. Sharing toys, playing games together, bathing together and even sharing secrets. Both got along with their neighbors Cubs. There was one major difference between Share and Surprise. Share was an introvert. Surprise was an extrovert. Surprise was soon a good friend of all the neighbors Cubs. Especially a Cub named Cheer. Most of Cheer's siblings got along fine with Surprise. They also got along with Share. However they often had a hard time to convince Share to come out and play. They also had a Brother who avoided playing with others. He wasn't shy like Share. Just very moody. Share would see the Boy Bears playing Ball or Tag. Then she would spot Grumpy staring sadly from the sidelines. Within minutes he would be alone flying paper airplanes or kites he had crafted. Grumpy could make somethng as simple as a Paper Airplane do magnificent arial manuevours.

Share heard several Bears say the aloof Boy was mean. Then there came the day Share wet herself while playing Hopscotch. The other Cubs laughed at Share. Then Grumpy stepped in. Grumpy had a pained look on his face. He appeared just as hurt as Share by the teasing directed at her. He admonished the others for laughing. Then walked Share home. It would be one of the few times he would ever be seen holding Paws with Share.

In the days that followed Share occasionally spoke with Grumpy. Share now had reasons to doubt the Cubs who said Grumpy was mean. To Share he just appeared to be a sad, lonely Bear. Then one day Share heard Cheer defend her sad looking Sibling. Cheer had told another Female Cub "my Brother isn't mean, he's grumpy." Share didn't know what to think of Grumpy. She was too shy to strike up many conversations with him. However the few times Share spoke to him she found him to be smart. He was not mean to her at all. He seemed to be sad at times. In deep thought at other times. At times Share could have sworn she felt how the Boy felt. It was a feeling like sadness or hopelessness. Even confusion. Share would one day find out it is called Depression. For the time being she just had to wonder what the strange feeling was that emanated from the Boy.

There was something about Cheer's sad looking Brother that began to intrigue Share. However for the life of her Share could not figure it out. Share soon found herself trying to spy on the Boy Bear. Share nearly wore a path through the hedge separating the Bear Families' properties. She accidentally saw Grumpy peeing one time. Share was so fascinated she forgot to keep herself hidden. Stretching her head out of the bushes to see what she could see. Then quickly ducking back behind cover as soon as the Boy was through relieving himself. Luckily for Share it appeared as if Grumpy hadn't noticed her. Despite all Share had heard and seen she soon realized that Grumpy was one smart Bear. She would see Grumpy take toys and bikes apart. Then put them back together with some improvements. It appeared as if he could repair anything. Soon other Cubs would have Grumpy repair their broken toys. It seemed as if Grumpy was more interested in doing the repairs than the candy or coins promised as payment. Cheer showed Share how Grumpy had made her old Girls bike a thing of beauty for Cheer's Birthday. One day Share got up enough nerve to ask about Grumpy repairing her bicycle. It was wobbly and the paint scrathed badly. Grumpy had actually smiled at her. "I'll be happy to" he said. He fixed Share's bicycle up as good as new. All it cost Share was a candy bar. Cheer jokingly told Grumpy he should have asked the Girl for a nose rub as payment.

"Kiss a Girl!?" Grumpy had a look of horror as he said it. Cheer giggled. "It is going to happen to you someday. I first rubbed noses with a Boy when I was seven." Grumpy looked at his Sister as if she were a monster. He imagined Cheer rubbing noses with a Boy like Good Luck. "Nah" Grumpy thought to himself. "Good Luck has more brains than that!" That night Grumpy awoke from a dream. He dreamt he was rubbing noses with a Girl Bear with purplish fur. He was surprised at himself for finding it to be a pleasant dream. "Oh no, I am staring to like Girls" he thought to himself.

Care Bears and Care Cousins age much slower than any normal Mammal. Puberty is a drawn out affair. Slowly the bodies of Cubs change. Boys like Champ and Funshine found the transition from Cub to Adolescent Bear to be a wondrous thing. A time of new types of adventures. Girls such as Harmony and Cheer accepted the changes to their bodies with little fuss. Indeed they and Superstar bragged to each other as to who looked bigger and shapelier. They laughed at Share one day as she blushed to hear the other Girls talk of Mature Matters. The normally shy Share finally blurted out "you talk just as bad as some of the naughty Boys do!"

Those Boys were Champ, Funshine, and Do Your Best. Later that week Share had overheard them once again talking about Girls. Like before it involved some mature subject matters. To Share's surprise she heard Grumpy say to them "hey, I have Sisters. If you're going to talk about that stuff then I am out of here." Share had garnered some respect for Grumpy at that moment. An hour later those same Boys said some things to Share that made her feel uncomfortable. Now the shy Female stood up to the Males Grumpy had told off. "I don't listen to naughty Boys or dirty talk" said Share after blushing. "Lighten up, Share" said Funshine. Champ grinned. "You will never get a nose rubbing with that attitude." Share did something totally out of character. She thumbed her nose at them and turned on her heels to flee. She stepped right into Grumpy.

Share nearly fainted on the spot. Before she could utter a word Grumpy grabbed her shoulders. "Careful Girl. You wouldn't want to mess up your curls!" Then Grumpy pointed at the Boys she had just admonished. "Just because you think you are big jocks doesn't mean you can just have your way with Girls. Show Share some respect, or I will show you that a grumpy bear can kick some athletic Butts!"

"We were just joking around" Do Your Best shouted back as the Boys fled. They had never seen either Share or Grumpy show so much gumption. "Thanks, you're actually nice, for a Boy" Share said to Grumpy. The shy Girl was looking down as she said it. As she looked back up her eyes and Grumpy's locked for a moment. Then both were looking down as each blushed. That after noon Grumpy walked Share home. They walked and talked. Share's sister trailed them for a while. Surprise was hoping to catch them kissing. Instead the two Bears talked as if they had been best friends forever. A day later they acted like total strangers when Surprise and Share saw Grumpy at the Candy Store.

Share was now having more thoughts about the Opposite Sex. Lovalot told Share "the ways to attract Boys are through their noses, eyes, and stomachs". Share never considered herself as pretty. So she began using body spray. She leaned how to cook sweets. Share had noticed several Boys including Grumpy had a sweet tooth. Neither Share's friends nor Grumpy's friends could figure out the relationship of the Boy and Girl. That was fine with Grumpy and Share. Once in a while they would get together for a short walk. Even when together they seldom talked. They didn't need to talk to know how the other felt. Share would sometimes pull a home cooked snack out of her paw bag and hand it to Grumpy. Share would say "you're hungry, aren't you." Share didn't need to hear Grumpy's tummy growl. She could sense when he was hungry. Grumpy was once walking with Share on a beautiful Summer's Day. Share had felt fine. Then felt a bit queasy in her tummy. She said nothing about it to Grumpy. Yet he stopped and looked at Share with concern. "You aren't feeling well, are you?" Share looked down. "No, my tummy feels sick." Grumpy made sure she got home as fast as possible. Share had no sooner stepped inside when she vomited.

Their quiet walks together seldom shattered the quiet of the meadow or forest they were in. If they did talk it would start as one said to the other "do you have a grump to share?" After a Male wry smile or a Female giggle they would share each others concerns. One day Lovalot was talking to Share. Grumpy happened to walk by. As Share and Grumpy glanced at each other Lovalot sensed something. Thanks to her tummy tag Lovalot had the Power of Empathy. Now she had a revelation. After Grumpy walked off Lovalot turned to Share. "Oh my gosh, now I understand you and that Boy. You have Empathy for each other. You feel each others emotions. You don't need to speak to know how the other feels."

Share smiled. "I'll have to look that word up in a dictionary." Two days later Share was reading the comics. In it a really furry Bear was staring at a tree as it shed its Fall Foliage. As the furry Bear stared at the falling leaves the Bear's fur started to shed. Two other Bears were standing further back watching. As the tree's last leaf fell the shedding Bear's last bit of fur hit the ground. One of the watching Bears pointed to the bare tree. Then to the bare Bear. Then he said to the Bear beside him "that is called empathy!" Share ran and got a dictionary. Then ran with the dictionary and comic over to Surprise. Surprise was startled as Share yelled and pointed at the comic. Then to a word in the dictionary. Share shouted "Lovalot was right! That's what me and that Boy has!"

Fate would soon intervene. As Teen Cubs there was more schooling. Different classes and less time for play. Less chances to run into one another. Then each tried their Paws at earning money. As they got older their lives seemed to be leading them further astray of each other. If they did see one another it was due to being with mutual friends or friends of siblings. Then came the fateful day Cheer was talking to Share. Share was showing Cheer some flowers she had grown. "I wish I had some way to deliver these to friends without having to go through the Care a Lot Postal System" said Share. Cheer grinned. "Grumpy has been working on such a thing."

Cheer convinced Grumpy to demonstrate the machine he was trying to develop. "Here it is" said Grumpy proudly. "The Cloud Express." He gave a demonstration of a machine similar to drones Humans were just developing. The cloud shaped machine flew a few feet carrying a package. Share and Cheer were impressed. After they left Grumpy tried one more flight. A bolt popped out. "I'll fix that tomorrow" sighed Grumpy. Later after every Bear had left Share had secretly tried out Grumpy's newest invention to see if could deliver flowers. Share had no way of knowing it had lost a bolt. She ended up breaking Grumpy's Cloud Express . Share fled before any Bear could find out.

Grumpy had been outraged to find his contraption broken. At fist he and Cheer suspected Grizzle as the culprit. The outraged siblings threatened to hunt down Grizzle to give him a tongue lashing. Just as they got ready to do so Share's conscience got the best of her. Share confessed after breaking out in tears as other Bears watched. A minute earlier Grumpy had been outraged. As soon as he found out Share was the guilty bear Grumpy had winced as if in pain. Then he immediately calmed down. To those who witnessed this it became evident the two Bears had feelings for each other. Feelings they had never confessed to their friends. Besides most of those friends could never understand the Empathy the two Bears felt when close to each other.

Grumpy invited Share to have a paw in repairing The Cloud Express. Working close together they got the job done. They would also end up admitting their Love for each other. They would end the day in a grungy garage nose to nose in their first Real Kiss. They were soon seen together nearly every day. Yet rarely were they seen holding paws, and even rarer, rubbing noses. Indeed, it seemed as if each was trying to hide the fact they were in Love. They finally admitted their Love publicly as they sent out invitations to their Mating Ritual Day.

Just before their Mating Ritual Day Share and Grumpy had taken another of their quiet walks together. "I guess this is our last walk as just friends" Share had said quietly. Grumpy grunted and then gave Share a wry half smile. "Yes, but we will always be more than Mates. We will always be Soul Mates. I can feel it will be so." Share giggled, "so do I. Do you think the other Bears and Cousins will ever understand our relationship?" Grumpy did something rare. He put a forefinger to his lips, then his nose. Then he put his forefinger on Share's nose. That is how Care Bears and Care Cousins blow a kiss. Then Grumpy actually smiled as he said "Heck, I don't even understand our relationship. But it works!"

Every Bear was brought back to the present as Surprise Bear popped a balloon. "Wonderful story, Share. You too, Grumpy" said Surprise. "Indeed it was" said Cheer. "Oh those wonderful days as Cubs and Teen Cubs. So many stories we could share." Cheer put her finger in the frosting of a cupcake. "So Brother Dear" said Cheer as she smeared frosting on Grumpy's nose. "Do we get to see you and Share rub noses?" Share and Grumpy both blushed. "What the Heck" said Grumpy as he put his nose up to Share's. Share giggled shyly as the two rubbed noses. Then they seemed to forget where they were as they rubbed ever more passionately. As Cheer snapped a photo Surprise laughed and whispered to her. "That is a surprisingly public and passionate kiss for those two!"

Cheer was ecstatic at what she was witnessing. "Gee, if they keep that up I just may get a Niece or Nephew!"

Epilogue: written by request. This is Dedicated to "Little Doreen". One of my Cousins born with Cerebral Palsy. We could communicate without speaking. The comic about the "bare bear" is a reference to a BC comics cartoon. I was about fifteen when I saw it in a book I had bought. I showed my Mother and then showed her a dictionary and pointed to the word Empathy and the Comic. "That's what me and Little Doreen had" I yelled. Little Doreen has since passed away. I recently told my Aunt "I know Little Doreen is truly in Heaven." Yes, I can feel it is so. I have never met another Person whose Emotions I could feel so strongly.


End file.
